Biting the Hand That Fed Him

The first light of dawn broke gently.

By the time we left the charity gala, Xander Loewe was already slightly tipsy. His face was flushed, and he was a little unsteady on his feet.

He tentatively asked me, "Cynthia, it's getting really late. How about we skip your birthday for now? We can celebrate another day. Doesn't make a difference, does it?"

It was already past midnight.

Maybe he was right. There was no point in celebrating my birthday anymore.

But wasn't he the one who said this charity gala was crucial for his career? That he couldn't excuse himself but would absolutely come to see me after the event to make it up to me?

And yet, what did he do?

He spent millions at the auction to buy a pair of matching watches and slipped one onto his first love—Natasha Stellar's—wrist.

I had so many questions on the tip of my tongue, yet I couldn't bring myself to ask them.

For instance, why did he buy matching watches for Natasha?

Or why didn't he clarify things with the media?

He always had excuses, and somehow, in the end, I would always be the one accused of being unreasonable.

At this very moment, Natasha was throwing a tantrum at him.

"What do you take me for? You know I'm struggling right now, and you deliberately give me these. You're trying to humiliate me, aren't you? Is that it? Sure, I majored in philosophy, and it doesn't make money, but my soul is richer than anyone's!"

Xander explained, looking wronged, "That's not it, Natasha. I just wanted you to be happy..."

How touching.

It was a perfect scene straight out of a drama—the cold CEO and the lofty intellectual.

I didn't say anything as I got into the car.

My friends and family were already waiting for me.

Xander might be absent, but I couldn't let everyone down.

As I impassively downed glass after glass of wine, my best friend, Mia Gardner, gingerly asked, "Cynthia, are you okay?"

"I'm fine." I forced a smile. "Don't worry about me. Just enjoy yourselves."

It was just a case of a broken heart, that's all.

But unexpectedly, Xander showed up with Natasha following right behind him just as I was about to cut the cake.

They were both wearing matching watches. The tiny diamonds around the watch faces sparkled under the warm light, shining brilliantly like a galaxy of stars.

It was painfully hard to ignore.

"Cynthia, I know I'm late, but this is your birthday party after all. As your boyfriend, of course, I had to come. Glad I didn't miss the cake cutting!" he cheered, then affectionately linked his arm with mine.

He had always acted this way. He would be all sweet toward me after hurting me.

The five-tier cake had a fondant figurine of the two of us on top. It looked delicate and romantic.

There was a wooden ring I had hand-made inside Xander's figurine.

It was my way of telling him I wanted to marry him.

The light flickered softly, and amid the crowd's cheers, I blew out the candles and made my wish.

"3, 2, 1!"

The moment the candles went out, Xander pressed my head down and shoved me into the cake.

At the same time, Natasha, who had been silent all along, finally chuckled.

Xander looked at Natasha and excitedly exclaimed, "Natasha! Did you laugh? You're not mad at me anymore? That's great!"

"You're so silly." Natasha's tone softened. "How could I stay mad at you?"

In the midst of the sharp pain, I almost wanted to laugh.

He came only to make a joke out of me in order to cheer up his first love.

"Cynthia, why aren't you looking up? Why can't you take a joke? Women are so petty!" he jeered. "Are you actually mad about this?"

Just as Xander was about to throw a tantrum, a cry rang out from the crowd.

"Oh my goodness! There's blood! There's so much blood… Why is she bleeding?"

"Cynthia! Are you okay?"

The cake was five tiers tall, with steel support rods inside to prevent it from collapsing.

My blood flowed steadily as the sharp steel pierced my skin.

My eyeball was just an inch away from being stabbed.